Chapter One

Philemon Jung, Phil to his family and friends, raised the pole and struck it down. A soft thud signaled that the hoe hit the dirt. He dragged it along, tilling the land of his farm. For Sixteen Seasons he had been doing this, for Sixteen Seasons since birth it was his job to till the land. But today, at midday, he would be among the first group of those his age would be sent to The Great Cave to find a Kyber Crystal. If he couldn't find one, he'd keep farming. A rather disappointing fate. It wasn't that he hated it, he actually loved it. It was just that farming was a boring endeavor. He could always leave it and become a carpenter, or an artisan, maybe even a priest, but his family was traditionally farming, and Philemon wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be a Guardsmen Scout. He had heard so much about the scouts. They got to leave his village for others, go to The Covenant, and even got to leave the planet all together. He remembered his Ninth Season, when his mother passed down her training weapon. It was simply a wooden pole, about six feet in length, with a metal blade at the end that could be changed out for a wooden one at will. It was much too long for him then, but when he hit his Fourteenth Season, he was about half an inch taller than it, a good sign. Now, in his Sixteenth Season, he was at least two inches taller than it, something the village women seemed to love. He never understood why women seemed to like him, he was rather bland in appearance, at least he thought so. In truth, his mother's praising and coddling was the most accurate thing she ever told him. He stood at six feet two inches, accompanied by slight muscle growth on his arms and thighs, tanned skin from his work, and soft brown hair from working in the sun so long, and was cut to an almost buzzed short length to keep it out of his eyes. His facial features were smooth, yet his skin was rather coarse from so much physical labor in his lifetime. He did, however, have one feature that few would find attractive. His right eye was a bright yellow, while his left a pale hazel. As he finished plowing, he checked the time. He held his hand to the sun in a closed palm, letting it sit just under it. It was about nine in the morning, if he remembered how to tell time properly. He looked around at the freshly tilled field. He patted himself on the back for a job well done. He hooked his hoe over his right shoulder and hummed as he walked to the farm house. Inside, he smelled the familiar scent of toast and eggs, a normal breakfast for his family. He walked over to the bathroom and washed his hands, exactly sixty seconds with heated water and soap. He finished and took a seat at the table. After a short prayer thanking The Maker and The Force for everything, his family started eating. His father, Gustav, spoke up as he cut his eggs.

"So, Phil," his father began. "Are you ready for The Search today?"

"Sure am dad." Phil said with a wide smile. "Been practicing with Iosef."

"As in, he's been ratting me out when I hide from chores!" Iosef, Phil's younger brother angirly corrected with a slam of his fist on the table.

"First, you need to learn discipline, especially self discipline." Gema, Phil's mother, scolded. "Second, it still counts, even if practice is unnecessary."

"Phil doesn't need to practice finding his crystal?" Dalia, Phil's youngest sibling and only sister asked.

"It's less about being able to find it, and more about a connection with the force." Phil explained.

"Phil and Iosef are lucky, why are they sensitive and I'm not?" Dalia demanded.

"It's genetics, honey." Gustav explained. "I was never sensitive, same with my siblings, but your mother was. And as it turns out, sensitivity is a recessive gene."

"I don't think that's it." Iosef corrected. "In school, they always say it's based on how much of the force your body accepts from birth."

"Don't correct your father." Gema scolded. "Anyway, you should get going soon, Phil, it's almost time for the search."

"Oh, jeez you're right. Thank you mom." Phil sputtered. He finished eating and ran up to his room to change. He got out of his work clothes, a pair of pants, boots, and a loose fitting shirt, and got into a pair of grey robes and shoes. He grabbed his satchel and his mother's Naginata. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed his canteen and a lunch bag. He waved goodbye to his family and set out on the dirt road to walk to The Great Cave. On his walk, he bumped into his best friend, Gregori Frued. Gregori was known to be a joker, and his appearance sure matched it. He was about three inches shorter than Phil, and was much lankier. His hair was much longer and was practically bleached blonde, and he always kept it down in a pony reminiscent of The Jedi.

"Waddup Phil?" Gregori greeted. "Are you ready to become a man?"

"Sup' Gregori. Sure am." Phil answered. "I wouldn't rely on finding a crystal though, you got a back up plan?"

"Eh, I'm not interested in going into the guard." Gregori responded. "Either way, I'm gonna shoot for smithing."

"Why smithing?" Phil asked. "It leaves you in the scorching heat of the forge all day."

"That's why I love it."

"I wonder about you sometimes." Phil Sighed. They deviated off the dirt road and walked through tall grass for a bit, until they came across a small, permanent campsite. Beyond the site was the cave entrance. At the site, many of their classmates waited for them. They sat there and their lunches as they waited for the last of their classmates. At long last, at exactly midday, the last of their classmates arrived.

"Well then, now that we're all here, let's begin." the teacher started. "You're all here to find a Kyber Crystal, a few ground rules. No fighting, we do not want blood spilled on these holy grounds. Don't trust your eyes, they deceive you and may bring you to temptation. Finally, trust in the force, it will guide you to destiny. Now, some of you may not find a crystal, that's alright, some legends of the Sith and Jedi legends used lightsabers that were not forged by themselves. Now then, you may enter the cave." The students all slowly shuffled into the cave. It was not what Phil had expected it to be. The cave was not lined with Kyber Crystals like Phil thought it would be, rather, it had deposits of them dotting the walls, cieligns, and ground. Many students simply wandered around, hand extended to guide them to a single crystal. Phil did the same thing, remaining as close to the entrance as possible. One by one, his classmates soon filed out of the cave, until it was just him and several others remained. Phil was desperate, desperate enough to separate from the group by a few more steps. As soon as he was a decent distance, he felt something crawl up his back. He frantically patted his back, but nothing was there. Then, came the whispers.

"Come…." The whisper told him. He looked around to find the source of the voice, seeing nothing.

My eyes can deceive me. Phil recalled. He slowly shut his eyes, revealing the source of the voice, a shape standing inside a section of the wall.

"Come." it instructed. Phil stumbled toward the voice, feeling a mass envelop him as he stepped into the wall. The shapeless form of the voice guided him through the ground, and into a large cave with no access way. Phil had to admit that it was rather pretty. Two underground waterfalls flowed into two small streams that merged to flow at the wall ahead of him.

"Sit." The Voice instructed. Phil did as he was told, keeping his eyes closed. The formless voice seemed to sit in front of him.

"Who are you?" The Voice asked.

"I am Philemon Jung, first child of Gema and Gustav Jung." Phil stated.

"You carry a gift granted by The Force." The Voice stated. "How do you wish to use that gift?"

"I want to protect people." Phil responded. "I don't care how, even if people don't like how i'd do it, I will protect people."

"Your resolve is strong." The Voice stated. "Place your hands in the water, where the streams meet." Phil did as he was told. He scooped his hands into the stream, and raised them. A small, transparent crystal now sat in his hands.

"Return to your people." The Voice stated. Phil went back the way he came, clutching the crystal the whole time. As he walked, it seemed to change color to an orange-red mix of a color. He came to the cave entrance, where his classmates and teacher seemed relieved to see him.

"Philemon, thank god." the teacher sighed. "I came to retrieve those who were unable to find a crystal, and you weren't there. We searched for two hours, but we could not find you. We were about to give up and grab the guard, and you showed up, what happened?"

"Well, there was a voice, it told me to follow it but there was no way, so I closed my eyes and I went through a passage and-" the teacher cut him.

"You heard a voice?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah, it helped me find this." Phil said as he showed his teacher the crystal he found. The teacher seemed to ignore the crystal, and was more focused on The Voice.

"Did it have a form?" the teacher demanded.

"Yeah, kind of." Phil explained. "It was like pure energy. It had no real shape to it. It constantly morphed through incomprehensible shapes, it even changed to colors I cannot describe, and it spoke directly into my mind." The teacher seemed ecstatic.

"Philemon, many have heard that voice and have been guided to a Kyber Crystal with it, but none have seen it have a form." the teacher stated. Phil was speechless. Was he the first of his people to see this?

"The leader of The Covenant will want to speak to you directly." the teacher said wide eyed. "A transport will arrive for you in the morning. Here is a carrier for your crystal, now go rest." Phil slid his crystal into a pendant that the teacher handed him and he returned home for the night.

The time had come for Phil to leave. He hugged his family goodbye as the speeder driver put his bags in the back of the speeder. His parents wished him good fortune and encouraged him to remain one with the force as he was in The Covenant, the closest thing to a big city in all of Sanctuary. The ride was rather short, it only took about ten minutes due to the speeder, though it's driver was still rather chatty.

"So, you got an orange crystal huh?" the driver asked. "It looks a little red to me though. I know orange means full allegiance to the Light Side, and red is the same for the Dark Side, so you got any idea what that one means?"

"Don't know." Phil answered. This went on for some time, the driver asking questions and Phil not knowing an answer. They soon arrived in The Covenant. It was huge, at least compared to Phil's village. In actuality, it was tiny in comparison to other cities across the galaxy, but it was massive for Sanctuary. The homes were mostly metal and stone, unlike the wood and stone homes of Phil's village, and they were packed together very tightly.

How can anyone live here? Phil asked himself as the speeder stopped in front of massive metal gates. A pair of Guardsmen stopped to inspect their speeder. They gave a nod to the driver and they drove into the now open gates. Beyond them, was a massive palace. There were three main structures to it, a temple not unlike the one Phil regularly attended, a building that seemed to be a living space, and a building he had seen in pictures, the massive republic building. Elected officials of each village on Sanctuary would meet here and discuss the way that the planet would be managed so that everyone benefits from living in Sanctuary. The speeder stopped at the living area, and two Guardsmen escorted him to a room.

"Take some time to get unpacked, you'll be spending a few days here. In about thirty minutes, the palace chaplin wants you to come to the church to build your Lightsaber." one of the guards stated.

"Thanks." Phil responded. He unpacked his clothes and possessions. As he hit the fifteen minute mark to meet the chaplin, he changed into his church clothes. They were a set of loose fitting white robes tied with black cloth and with a black undershirt. Phil walked to the church, where a man in white and black robes with gold accents waited for him.

"Hello, Philemon Jung." the chaplin stated. "I am Father Vulcan, the chaplin in charge of building sabers in the palace walls. Please, follow me."

"Yes, Father Vulcan." Phil responded. They entered the church and walked past the massive room where masses would be held. They entered a basement lined with containers of lightsaber construction parts. It was dimly lit by a circle of candles in a circle drawn to represent the balance of the force in nature and machine. Father Vulcan kneeled down and silently instructed Phil to do the same. Phil kneeled down in front of Father Vulcan.

"Now, close your eyes and tell me what the saber you see is."

"I'd want-" Phil began.

"Not what you wish for, but what the force shows you, look deep into yourself." Father Vulcan instructed. Phil focused deeply within himself. He saw what his saber would be, and informed Father Vulcan.

"I see a polearm, with a curved blade. It's shaft is steel, with polished wooden handles." Phil stated. Father Vulcan inhaled slightly.

"I have a shaft just like that, the rest is up to you as you use the force to construct your weapon." Father Vulcan stated. Phil focused on gathering the materials. He remembered how to manipulate objects with the force, focusing on bringing the object to, or away from you, using your hand as a medium to do so. He reached his hand out to a rack carrying the shafts and a pulled on identical to the one he saw to him. It hovered in front of him, ready to be built. He then reached out to the parts of the head of the weapon. Parts slowly slid to the pole, ready to snap into place. He took his Kyber Crystal off it's pendant and hovered it into the main section of the beam emitter. It snapped into place, as with the other pieces. It slowly descended into Phil's hands as he opened his eyes. He pressed the power button, a dark orange-reddish beam with a slight curve spat out of the beam emitter. A soft humm filled the room, accompanied by the blade's glowing.

"A wonderful weapon…" Father Vulcan marveled.

Before Phil knew it, a day had passed and it was time for him to speak with the overall leader of Sanctuary. He approached the office of the leader in his somewhat uncomfortable formal robes. It was a white shirt with a red tie, black slacks, black shoes, and loose black robes. He entered the office. Inside the lavish office were three people. Two of them were guards, interestingly, one did not wear a helmet, instead showing off her tanned skin and black hair tied in a high bun. In between them, a man wearing red robes with gold accents sat. He was bald, though he had a goatee on his pale face. This man was Remus, the leader of Sanctuary and a direct descendant of Phropheleus. Phil kneeled before him, and gave a respectful greeting.

"Thank you for honoring me with your presence, Chancelor Remus." Phil said.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine. And you can simply call me Remus." Remus smiled. "Please, take a seat." Phil did as he was told and sat in the rather comfortable chair in front of Remus' desk.

"What is it you require?" Phil asked.

"Straight to the point eh?" Remus chuckled. "Very well, I was going to try and convince you to accept a mission but ah well. We are in grave danger."

"How so?" Phil asked. Remus pulled a lock box from under his desk. He opened it, showing a small blaster with a targeting scope and folding stock. It's barrel was finned and the blaster was covered in wires.

"Do you recognize this?" Remus asked.

"Yes, it's a blaster. Not one that's made on this planet." Phil marveled.

"Guard Scouts identified it as a military weapon. They found it was the standard issue blaster for a Galactic Empire controlling the land our ancestors escaped from." Remus explained. "Recently, we've been finding more and more of these in our homeland. A mere two weeks ago, we found this." Remus placed a small disk on the desk and pressed a button on it. A hologram shot out of the disk, showing a man in body armor standing in a camp holding something invisible, most likely the disk. The man spoke into the disk.

"Scouting report, day five." The man stated. "The planet seems to be rather rich in resources. There's numerous forests and we've identified nutrient rich soil in most areas. There's numerous mineral rich cave systems, and large ravines that lead into them. The planet is inhabited by humans who seem to have a small presence on the planet. They're mostly scattered in small farming villages, though a few seem to be more industrially focused. As for technology they possess, it's a mix. They have speeders, droids, blasters, and starships, but a lot of it's dated and it seems that the larger a village is, the more recent the technology they have is."

"Sir? Are you seeing this?" another armored man asked. The man was suddenly struck by a Light Spear. The man holding the device dropped it and the recording ended.

"This most likely means that this Empire is planning to annex our lands and abuse them for their own interests. Would you be willing to aid your planet?" Remus asked. Phil grinned.

"I'd be more than happy." Phil stated.

"Good, very good. A ship will be ready to take you to the outskirts of this Empire's reaches so you may find anyone who can help us defend." Remus praised. "In addition, my guard here, Corporal Athena Delos, will come with you to provide you aid."

"Sir, I protest this assignment." Athena stated calmly. "I cannot defend our people if I'm out wandering unfamiliar territory with this man."

"But the benefits will be monumentous, Corporal." Remus stated. "That is an order." Athena sighed.

"Fine. I'll have my gear prepared and I'll leave with him tomorrow." Athena stated.

"Thank you, the ship will be ready for you at nine in the morning tomorrow." Remus informed Phil. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"Thank you, Remus. I'll serve with honor." Phil said before he left. He had a long journey ahead of him, one he was unsure if he was fit for. Sure he could fight, but he had never been in a real one. And the steaks were so high. That night, he slept with nerve ticking in his neck.

A/N: I honestly didn't expect to make this. I know I said I would wait until people said weather or not they wanted this to be a thing, but I felt a sudden inspiration to make this. A few things, I'm not gonna update this too often. It's just too much of hassle with so many sotries I'm already working on, so this is gonna be my bottom priority. Second, I changed my mind, this will be involved in the story of Episode IV. I only decided to do this for continuitys sake, and because I like episode IV. Third, don't expect much. Unlike some of my other fics, I don't have a real goal for this one so I'm writing this as I go. Have a good one!